Ube powder specifications: what a commercial spec sheet should list

A usable ube powder specification answers four questions: what is it, how is it made up, how does it behave in a factory, and how long does it keep. In practice that means the fields below. Values are not given as "typical" figures here, because they differ by product; the right-hand column shows what one supplier states.

The species line is the most important field on an ube spec. Ube is Dioscorea alata; purple sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) and taro are sometimes sold under the same name. Purple yam also has a higher anthocyanin content than sweet potato, which affects colour.

Composition comes next. Of the products we checked, Plants2Market's 10:1 extract contains 10% maltodextrin, Origine's Penyu powder uses tapioca starch, Fairir sells "80%" and "99%" grades, and the Barú Ube Latte Powder contains 9% ube with sugar and glucose syrup listed first. A spec that does not give percentages is incomplete.

Moisture, particle size and bulk density decide how a powder handles in a factory. Two suppliers in our research publish them:

• Big Moca (article 811): moisture below 5.0%, at least 95% through 80 mesh (180 µm).
• Plants2Market (data sheet): moisture max 5%, total ash max 5%, bulk density about 0.4 g/ml, pale purple powder.

Bulk density matters for silo and dosing-unit sizing, and ash content for comparing purity between lots. If a supplier does not state a value you need, ask for it with the test method, so you can compare like with like.

A spec should state microbiological limits and how they are tested, and a COA should report the results for each batch. Fairir lists a COA with moisture, heavy metals and microbiology, citing GB/T 29602-2013, a Chinese standard for solid beverages. Botanical Cube lists microbiological and pesticide residue reports, an SGS third-party report and a TLC identity test.

Big Moca has every batch of 100% ube powder tested by Eurofins Food Testing Netherlands, an ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory, before release, including a synthetic dye screen by LC-DAD. Ask any supplier which laboratory tested the batch and whether it is accredited.

The allergen statement should cover all 14 allergens listed in EU food information law, including cross-contact. Big Moca's 100% powder is free of all 14. The Barú latte powder sheet, by contrast, carries may-contain warnings for nuts, soya, gluten, milk and peanuts.

Shelf lives stated in our research: 24 months unopened (Big Moca), 2 years sealed (Plants2Market), 3 years (claimed by Origine's sister brand Tripper for Penyu powder) and 540 days (Barú). Barú's sheet also gives a customs code, 21069098, which helps importers. For your ingredient list, use the name the spec gives, for example "purple yam (ube) powder", in descending order of weight as EU rules require.

Specification transparency varies widely. The table shows which documents each supplier makes available, publicly or on request.

Big Moca's bulk ube desk shows its specification and document policy. Before you shortlist suppliers on documents, the ube supplier checklist sets out the ten checks to run.